..you are changing your life, by changing others lives. -
J.Arevalo
From day one of planning for the Guatemala service trip, we knew
one thing.. That we were going to build a house. What we didn't know was that Guatemala
was going to change us, help us make 25 new friends, teach us how to walk like
pros on colonial cobblestone and prepare us for the beautiful colors and sights
that surround us.
It's always incredible to see young people from different
schools, backgrounds and neighborhoods bond and start to break down those
walls! Watching the conversations take place and friendships form make this
narrator/director very happy.
While we wish you were here, I'm going to try to do my best to
recap all the greatness!
Day one: is a blur! It was filled with head counts, airports,
terminal numbers and countless questions...landing in Guatemala made it all
worthwhile. The familiar drive for some of us from Guatemala City, to Antigua
was a chance to show off Teens, Inc's. "home away from home”. Arriving in Candelaria (a neighborhood
in Antigua) to our host families was exciting to say the least. As some
of us had been awake for so long, it would of been incredible to fall asleep..
Of course we had a different plan! We went over to the Dreamer Center, the
school and offices where Nuestros Ahijados is located, and had orientation with
Jose Arevalo-Director, Saùl- our tour guide and best buddy, Rina- volunteer
coordinator and Kendall- Director of Service Teams.
Orientation is a mixture of feeling proud for getting to
Guatemala and all the months of fundraising, collecting and preparing have paid
off, paired with feeling motivated to start our work... Hearing our schedule
for the week, and getting our money prepared to exchange was first on the list
along with reminders about not drinking the water and making sure we take care
of ourselves!
After orientation we were able to grab our extra things out of
the larger suitcases and we were back with our host families for dinner. After
dinner we hit the town for some fun, and dessert!
Day 2: After an incredible nights sleep, we were up early to
exchange money, and have a fun day in the middle of Antigua, hanging out at
Central Park (seriously) and doing a little bit of shopping! Our plan for the
day was either to Zipline or to go on a hike to the Hill of the Cross and see
the beautiful sights of all of Antigua! Everyone had an incredible time
and enjoyed a fun game of soccer after both activities!
Our evening activities included heading over to the sky café and
was filled with giggles, smoothies, and giant plates of nachos!
We are so happy to be here and have an amazing day #3 ahead of
us!
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